Blind Betrayal
by Nommy
Summary: A mother, a soldier, a friend and a foe; how can one person encompass so much and still remain true to themselves and their loved ones? A poor, unfortunate sole survivor from Vault 111 can - at great personal loss. Love and loyalty mean nothing in the Commonwealth and even less in the hearts and minds of the people surrounding her it seems.
1. Memories of Nightmares

The mess hall on the Prydwen was still and empty save for the cook pottering about absently behind the counter, grumbling about rations and supplies running low; Paladin Danse's eyes lingered on him quietly as thoughts swam around his head. A frown furled his brow and he rubbed it away before someone approached him and inquired after his foul mood. It was late, but not so late that no one was kicking about the large Brotherhood ship - case in point, the cook Danse was staring at vacantly as he thought.

It wasn't long before pain began to spark its familiar niggle at the sides of his eyes; Danse leaned forward over the table, shielding his eyes from the bright lights hoping that it would abate; it did not. He grimaced, crushing down the pain and his reaction to it - for weeks, no, months, he'd been having these strange migraines, they were brutal and relentless and often completely deprived him of sleep. Even Cade, the Prydwen's doctor had no idea what ailed the Paladin, but he had said the very same as Haylen when Danse had complained of it to her; get some rest.

Easier said than done in Danse's opinion. He simply wasn't one for sitting on his hands, even for bed-rest. He was roused from his repressed grunts of agony by a strange gurgling sound; Danse's brow furled, was that a baby? He turned in his seat and saw, at the very end of the mess, in the corner was the newest Brotherhood Knight; Peg. Danse watched as she, with her back to him, sighed and her shoulders slumped. Danse heard a male voice.

" _Hi honey!"_

The recording on Peg's Pip-Boy stopped as she paused it. Danse got to his feet and made his way over, his power armour made his approach abundantly obvious so he wasn't surprised when she said dourly, her back still facing him.

"Can't sleep?"

"Negative." Danse responded in his usual tone, fearing he may have been slightly curt.

His fears were unfounded as Peg turned in her seat and looked up at him with her light green eyes, Danse swallowed a lump; they were bloodshot and red-rimmed and he nodded, "You?"

"Nah...I don't really sleep much these days either..." She said a little down and he nodded slowly, "Yeah...it's...It's tough."

His eyes slid up from where he'd put them down on the table, avoiding the light and her quizzical gaze; his heart softened to see her, he had to admit - Danse was always a sucker for a forlorn woman; sitting across the table, Peg's bloodshot green eyes were downcast, her hands wrapped around a cup of something hot, presumably coffee. He shrugged his shoulders and attempted to allay the thick air of sadness that surrounded her,

"At least we get to ride in style now, instead of being cooped up in the police station."

It was a weak attempt - even to him - but she smiled politely and looked up from her cup. "Maxson's a little young for an 'Elder', don't you think?"

He nodded, "Yes, but don't let his youth fool you. Maxson's a helluva soldier and a great leader."

"If you say so..." Peg uttered at his tone and he leaned forward a little standoffish and asked,

"What, you're unconvinced?" There he sounded bemused and she shrugged in her infuriatingly flaky un-soldier-like way and tried to palm it off with a flighty comment, "I just think..." Suddenly her eyes were on him, scrutinising his face; gauging whether she could confide in him or not - she chose not to and changed the subject quickly, aggravating Danse slightly.

"Have you tried rubbing your temples in circular motions?" She asked lightly, mimicking the motion with her own hands on her temples and he scoffed, leaning back,

"Dr. Cade prescribed the very same thing - that and bed-rest."

"Might do you some good, Pal."

She said familiarly as she took a sip of her coffee, using the moniker she'd come up for him whilst they had traveled the Commonwealth together. When he'd asked her why she kept calling him 'Pal' she'd told him it was an abbreviation of his rank 'Paladin' but Danse suspected it was her way to mischievously subvert rank altogether; she was the most chummy soldier he had ever encountered since Haylen. He didn't mind it too much.

"And what about you? Why can't you sleep?"

Danse regretted the question the moment it left his lips and inwardly grimaced as her bulbous green eyes embedded themselves in her cup again; she shrugged, this time not being cheeky but like she honestly didn't know how to explain herself and after a moment she looked up and said,

"Just...bad dreams. I dream that I'm cold...freezing, even. Looking through a window at my old blue house in Sanctuary Hills...Codsworth's trimming the hedges and the sun's out - splitting the rocks bright - I can hear a kid shouting for his buddies, they're playing kickball or something...Nate's..." She broke off before shaking herself and continuing onward with her description, "...He's out tinkering with the car, his sleeves rolled up. I-I can see it so clearly but my fingers are ice, my nose wet and cold against the glass. I feel like my arms and legs are slow and sluggish, y'know those types of dreams? The ones where you can't move...? Where you just miss something that you've spent all night trying to reach only to wake up...?"

Peg didn't look at him as she told him this; at last she looked at him and he could see that her haunted eyes were brimming with tears, "I dream about them every night when I'm not too exhausted to dream. It's always the same...and it always ends the same way..." Her face, grew very dark and Danse saw her grip the cup like she would squeeze it until it smashed in her palms;

"I see Kellogg. I see that sonofabitch and he's holding Shaun, my boy...He smiles at me through the glass before...he aims his gun at Nate and I hear the bang, the thunder of the bombs or is it his gun..?" It was too much for her and she let out a hiccup of raw emotion. Danse moved to do something - he was not quite sure what - but she waved him away with one hand whilst stifling her sob with the other, "I'm sorry." She managed, muffled by her fingers, "You don't need to hear this...It's just..." Absently she tucked a strand of ginger hair behind her ear and shook her head.

Peg took a deep breath and rolled the cup around in her hands before she said, "That dream every night feels like it lasts forever...I could sleep for an hour and have that dream and it would feel like it takes a lifetime to end and I wake up sweating but I'm just as cold as when I was in that damned pod."

He watched her finger the ring on her left hand, saw her chin quiver; "I do need to hear it, soldier." Was all he said after a moment to let her take a breath. Peg eyed him and he consoled her as best he could, "You wouldn't believe some of the things the soldiers have saw and done in these ranks; some of them don't come back from a third of the things you've endured. We all have our burdens, Knight." At that, Peg joked,

"You literally have yours on all the time." Meaning his power armour and he gave her a lopsided smile, "Well, we can't all be as strong as some."

"Hey, I've watched you come back from a rocket to the face. I think you're plenty strong, Pal."

"Thank you, Knight..." He grimaced at the pain in his head and she frowned worriedly,

"Seriously, Danse, rub your temples - see if it helps."

"I will." He said to placate her before she got to her feet. "I should get back to my quarters and you should at least try and get some rest...we have an assignment tomorrow - a big one."

"Oh?" Peg's interest piqued as she walked away from her commanding officer, ignoring all protocol.

"I'll let Proctor Ingram and Elder Maxson to brief you, it's not my place anymore to give you orders."

Before she departed he looked at her and slammed a fist against his breast and said "Ad victoriam."

Peg nodded and made for the sleeping quarters, feeling her freckled nose twitching at the thought of her nightmare.


	2. Betrayals and Confessions

_Danse,_

 _I'm sorry but I have to do this. I know what you would say, "There's the Brotherhood, nothing in-between" but there is. There's my son, Shaun. He's in the Institute and I need to help them and if that means taking on Maxson for them...I will._

 _Just please, please don't think that I'm doing this lightly. I meant what I said; I care for you - more than you might think._

 _Forgive me._

 _Peg_

Elder Maxson's eyes scanned the hastily scrawled note one more time before they darted up to glare at Danse who stood to attention, unwavering with no hint of emotion, waiting for his Elder's orders. Maxson's will was not forthcoming as he eyed the Paladin; his ire and wrath carefully contained at the moment was seconds from exploding into a rock slide of fury. He saw Danse's throat contract; watched as he waited until finally he demanded icily,

"I'm to believe that you had no idea of her intentions? Your own pupil and she did not once confide in you about her son?"

Paladin Danse cleared his throat and nodded dutifully, "She did, Elder."

"She did what, Paladin?" His voice was very low.

"Confide in me, sir. When we first encountered her in Cambridge, she was adamant that her infant child had been kidnapped, she claimed that she had no knowledge of the Institute - I had to inform her of them."

Elder Maxson scrutinised one of his best men, peeking back at the note in his hand, he drew attention to a certain line,

"'I meant what I said; I care for you - more than you might think.' You mean to tell me that you had no inclination of her treacherous nature - as close as you two appeared to have gotten?" His tone was utterly incredulous, but nevertheless Danse nodded his head somberly,

"Affirmative."

That's when Maxson spotted the flash of betrayal in Paladin Danse's eyes. He scanned the letter one more time;

"She means to take me on? The Brotherhood of Steel will answer this call to arms, Paladin. It will be your job forthwith to get Liberty Prime up and running, anything that Proctor Ingram needs - you will get for her. I don't care if we have to whip Doctor Li to get it working, this betrayal shall be met with severity!"

He slammed his hand down on the desk in his quarters to hammer home his intent before he slid around it to stand before Danse. The Paladin did not flinch, did not look directly at Maxson as he pointed an accusatory finger at him;

"And you - you will prove your loyalty to the Brotherhood. When you meet that traitorous little bitch on the battlefield as I expect you will in the coming days - you will put a bullet in her. It is your duty, Paladin and I expect you to carry it out to the letter. Am I clear?"

There was a very pregnant pause and Maxson leaned back, appalled at the Paladin's silence - his not agreeing straight away a direct offense to the Elder. Maxson gritted his teeth when Danse's eyes averted his and he moved closer and repeated more slowly, more hatefully,

"Am. I. Clear. Paladin?"

Danse finally looked at him and nodded slowly,

"Yes...Elder."

"Good. Now get out of my sight and report to Ingram. I'm sending out a message to all Brotherhood terminals that Knight Peg is not to be trusted and if spotted, eliminated following any engagement or brought to me upon surrender - either way, she will answer for what she has done. But if she does not surface - it will be you who puts her down, Danse. Dismissed."

-o-

The moment Danse was sequenced in his quarters he slammed his fist into the wall and felt his temper spike; why had she done this to him? She had betrayed everything that he they stood for and for what? Danse closed his eyes, feeling the pain in his knuckles dulling; of course he understood - how could he not? He liked to think that if his own child had been taken from him, he would have done anything to get them back like Peg...but to betray the Brotherhood to the Institute? Danse closed his eyes; he didn't want to kill her - hated the thought, actually, but he was a soldier and orders were orders; and if Maxson demanded Peg's life for what she had done...Then so be it.

It couldn't be that easy; he would never want to hurt her - not in a million years. He felt anger well up inside him at the thought of it. How could he shoot her? He had taken her under his wing, taught her how to shoot a rifle without shaking and how to bandage up her wounds in the field. He'd watched her over the year go from a ratty Wasteland scavver to a proud Brotherhood soldier. He'd listened to her story of how her family had been stolen from her and she had listened to his about his life before the Brotherhood; they'd shared meals and drinks, fought together and bled together...It didn't seem right. He rubbed his eyes, his forehead and then his whole face; how could Maxson expect him to do this? He couldn't think rationally when faced with this.

Then he took a shuddering breath as he realised that when it came down to it; he wasn't absolutely sure that he could go through with it. Peg hadn't betrayed them yet...Danse bit the inside of his lip anxiously, perhaps she would surface and he could reason with her - make her understand that it wasn't worth angering the Brotherhood for them...but she wasn't doing what she was doing for the Institute but for her son. Peg had said over and over that nothing and no one would keep her from finding her child and he grew agitated and flung himself away from the wall and ran his hands through his dark hair - her single-mindedness was completely commendable in some respects but it made her easily manipulable in his mind. What if the Institute were using her son to make her work for them?

Danse hoped with all his heart that they were - he could save her life if that was the case. If not? One of them would die. Danse could never forsake an order from Maxson and Peg would never allow anything to stand between her and her child - even if they cared for each other. It mattered little - if at all.

-o-

After the battle at Mass Fusion Peg hadn't left her quarters. She had taken herself away from the people and synths of the Institute and caved herself up alone and why? Every time she closed her eyes she saw the faces of the men and women of the Brotherhood - the people she had been breaking bread with for the last year, those that had saved her life. Thank God that Danse or Ingram hadn't been there she thought; thank God. A tear rolled down her cheek; what had she done? At least fighting the Institute, the synths were not real people - at least not the ones they threw at their enemies...Those men and women she had shot were real living, breathing people and she'd killed them for a purpose that she did not wholly understand. All Peg knew was that she was a mother and her son was here with them, leading this Institute and they didn't have long left together and if she had to make hard decisions to spend his remaining days with him then she would.

God she breathed a heavy sigh; she was a monster. Rubbing her face, her breath hitched; she had been combing it over for what felt like weeks and she felt like the guilt would never let up.

There was a knock at her door and she turned immediately and dashed her tears; she knew who it was before he even spoke.

"Mother?"

The sliding doors opened and revealed Shaun to her and straight away her pain melted and she smiled brightly, tears still in her eyes. He had Nate's eyes; that was the first thing that she had thought when they had been reunited and she loved that - every time she looked upon her son, she saw her husband's strength in integrity and her intellect and drive. His wizened face cracked into a smile; but his expression was pitiful,

"Mother why are you upset?"His voice was so soft, like his father's.

"It's nothing, sweetheart. I'm just being silly."

She spoke to him like he was a child still, and that's what he was to her - it did not matter that sixty years had passed since the Institute had stolen him from her.

"I don't think so." He said as he entered her room and closed her door before he approached her and said, "You've been cooped up in her since I sent you and Dr. Filmore to Mass Fusion. The mission was a success...and I thank you for all that you have done-"

"Just stop, son." She held up a hand, "I know that you care about the Institute-"

"Not 'care', mother. Love. I love the Institute with all my being."

"And I love you with all mine." Peg snapped and turned away with a sob scraping her throat.

"You don't even understand, Shaun...what I did. I killed those people not for the Institute or its ideals, its science - whatever." She turned to look at him directly in his familiar, lovely blue eyes and cupped his face, "I did it so that I could come back here and be with you. I would do anything for you, d'you understand? Even if it tears me up inside, I'll do it. Even if I don't like it..."

"Mother...?"

Peg let a little sob out and tears fell from her green eyes ad she tried to smile, "You're my baby...I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, not the Brotherhood, not the Railroad - anyone. If I had to drop another nuclear bomb on the world to save you, I would."

After that she slumped down into a seat and he followed her, kneeling before her, he patted her knee to console her like he was her father and she his daughter; "I know, mother...I know."

"Why didn't you release me earlier?" She gasped at last. "Its not fair...none of this is fair,"

"What do you mean?" Shaun asked, his brow furling, and Peg eyed him.

"I thought you were a baby at first...then I thought you were a little boy...I thought you were helpless, alone in this awful, awful world...and now I've found you and you're...You. You didn't need me - you should have just let me die in that pod, love. That way I would be with your father. If I had to kill someone I loved for you...I would...but I..."

Finally she broke down and doubled over, covering her face with her hands. She wailed,

"Don't ask me to fight, son. Don't ask me...I know what you want me to do...About the Brotherhood, but I can't, I just...can't."

"I am...truly sorry, mother. I am." Shaun said sadly but his face became stony,

"But I'm afraid I must ask you to fight one last time. You;re the only one I trust to do this. You know that the Brotherhood and the Institute cannot coexist and I need you to lead the attack on them at their base."

Peg's eyes found her son's; hers were wain and his were hard - she was on the verge of betrayal and grief. Again.

-o-

The battle droned around Peg as she stood atop the huge construct that held Liberty Prime in place; spotting a Brotherhood scribe attempting to sneak up on the synth that was uploading the virus into the massive humanoid robot, Peg slammed her bayoneted rifle into the scribe's chest and heard his bloody gurgle before she gripped his fatigues and tossed him over the railing with a pained expression behind her T-45 helmet. She wasn't brave enough to not wear it.

After a tense moment of firefight, Peg heard the sound of vertibird blades slicing the air above her head and she threw her frantic gaze towards the darkened smoke-filled sky and her heart lurched; she could see Paladin Brandis and Paladin Danse jump out onto the battlefield and turned to the synth uploader and snarled,

"Hurry up!"

 **I am going as fast as I can, ma'am.**

It responded with in its polite robotic monotone which made Peg whirl away angrily, impatient with the speed of which it was doing its task; after a moment of guarding the robot from gunfire and opportunistic scribes and initiates, by chance Peg found herself scanning the battlefield and spotted a synth about to fire on Danse who was engaged with another one of the robots - a particularly clingy one. Peg's heart stopped, it looked like he was becoming overwhelmed as more joined the barrage on the Paladin. Without a thought Peg leaped over the railing down off of the construct and landed on the synth that was firing on her friend.

The huge tremor she made as she landed alerted the Paladin to her presence and the look he turned on her was enough to make her wince. He looked at her like he hated her; like he couldn't believe her or comprehend who she was to him or what to even do with her. In his eyes she saw everything that she was afraid to see herself - he saw her for the traitorous monster she felt.

Her heart lurched as their eyes met; hers through the helmet were brimmed with tears that he couldn't see and his were absolutely filled with disappointment and hatred for her. She ignored it and shot the synth that had wrapped itself around him and was beating on his power armour with a shock baton; he looked unimpressed with the assist and shook the remaining off himself before he made a break for his once-protege. Straight away, Peg made to move away but he caught her arm and dragged her towards the landing across from Prime and threw her through the wooden fence that surrounded the airport's entrance into the dark grassy field that surrounded the battle. Peg went through it was a huge crash and landed just as heavily, his throw was so powerful that one of her power armour's arms went flying off and she heard the alarm beep in her helmet.

"Danse!" She pleaded as pain flamed down her arm.

His attack didn't abate as he kicked her across the field, his armoured boot denting her armoured torso; more alarms went off loudly and she grimaced as the wind was knocked out of her and she lost grip on her rifle and it spun away from her into the night, out of reach. Dizzy and in pain, Peg didn't anticipate another attack quite so quickly as Danse dished out another brutal kick to her middle which sent her flying further from the heat of the real battle and further towards the water.

She lay on her front for what felt like a lifetime, listening to the sounds of the battle as it raged; the Brotherhood all shouting orders and insults, the synths and their weapons buzzing and zipping. Finally she lifted her heavy head and saw Danse standing above her; flames roared behind him, he looked like her death as he stood there proudly in his power armour. She couldn't see his face but she could feel the utter disgust he felt for her as she tried to heave herself up onto her knees and when she was up he struck her with the back of his armoured hand sending her helmet shooting off her head, revealing the cascade of molten copper that was her hair and slicing her lip open in the process.

"Traitor!" Danse accused cuttingly over the din, his controlled voice thick with rage.

Peg's face hit the grass, she was thankful for it as it somewhat cushioned the blow, she coughed and hoped that the synth was nearly finished its upload of the virus into Prime. After a moment of dazed incomprehension, Peg managed to blurt out,

"No! You don't understand...Danse! They-they..." She spat out some blood and was about to continue but the Paladin had already hurled her even further towards grey sand and the darkened waters that surrounded Boston Airport.

"...They have my son!" Peg screamed as she landed, huffing as the wind was knocked out of her.

Danse ceased his assault, his breath was ragged and his expression a mixture of disgust and pity; he shrugged his massive shoulders and demanded,

"What? You betrayed everything we are. For what? One person?"

"My son!" Peg snarled, her nose crinkling in anger.

"We were your brothers! You sicken me." He broke off and waved a hand, turning away.

"I'm sorry...but...You would understand if you had children - no, you would." Peg had sat up now, leaning back on her heels with Danse stood over her ready to deliver the final blow.

"He's all I have...Everything I have left...Of that time, my life...before. Of Nate and...us."

Tears spilled over her eyes and plunged down her freckled cheeks and she howled,

"I know it's difficult to understand...I'm...I'm so sorry. I never meant for it to turn out this way!"

"Well it did! And this!" Danse pointed towards the battle and yelled, "This is what you've wrought, you've destroyed the Brotherhood in the Commonwealth, you've burned your bridges with me. But there will always be survivors and as long as I am alive, I will cobble them together to take down the Institute, with or without your son inside!"

Peg saw red and a burst of anger made her lash out and kick at his legs with her own armoured feet; Danse let out a grunt and fell forwards at the ferocity of her attack and Peg got the higher ground for a brief moment; his gun was falling from his hand and she caught it, pointing at him, her face was stony, but sad; tears were silently slipping down her face and she was looking down the sights of Danse's own weapon at him;

"So..." He breathed at last as they eyed one another,

"So?" Peg gasped, "I won't let you hurt my son...I won't let anybody take him from me again. I care for you, for all of the Brotherhood but...Maxson has you all brainwashed. Ghouls are victims of the War and synths are our own creations; your Brotherhood's views are all backwards!"

"Listen to yourself will you!" Danse snarled brutally, "They've turned you against good sense and they're using your son to manipulate you, Peg! You must be an idiot if you can't see that-"

Peg shook her head resolutely and aimed his laser pistol at him and said through gritted teeth,

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew what I did."

"And what's that, huh? The Institute really has all our best interests at heart? That they care about any of the civilians up here? That they won't bring ruin upon our species like the ones that came before them did? Huh, Peg? What?!"

He was flustered at the end of his tirade and to his unbridled surprise, Peg lowered the weapon and her shoulders sagged,

"You're one of them." Was all that she said; barely loud enough to hear over the noise - but Danse heard her alright - and he cocked his head uncomprehending and a strange fear froze his heart.

"What?" He asked simply and Peg closed her eyes,

"You're a synth, Danse...An escaped synth from the Institute...I-I read it on one of their terminals; there was your picture and your unit designation...M7-97..."

For a moment Danse merely eyed her before he snapped, "You're lying...that's..." his voice died in his throat and his tongue became dry, "No...no, I remember my life...My childhood - you're trying to trick me to-"

"To what, Danse?!" Peg screamed, she was exhausted with this world, the constant fighting and how much everything had changed; she flung the weapon aside and held up her hands, "To trick you into returning to the Institute with me? I don't care whether you're a synth or a ghoul!"

Danse watched her fall to her knees to join him on the ground, "I don't care anymore...you've all broken me..." Her head was down and her shoulders slumped, she looked defeated.

His hand came out in what could have been a comforting gesture had a massive, earth-shattering explosion not interrupted him. His eyes flew towards the sky and what he saw chilled his very blood; the Prydwen was ablaze and imploding virulently above their heads; his eyes darted over to Liberty Prime who was shooting the blimp down and Danse felt tears in his eyes.

"Goodbye, Danse."

He heard Peg's voice and he turned to eye her but she was mid-teleport and a shining blue light engulfed where she had knelt. He reached out quickly, to grab her to wring her neck or to hold her close to shelter her from the falling ship, he knew not - but one thing was prominent in Paladin Danse's mind - had Peg been telling the truth?

And why did a strange part of him believe her?

"Danse!"

The voice was Elder Maxson's, he was approaching from the battlefield in full power armour and the Paladin got to his feet and grimaced at the pain that ravaged his leg,

"Sir?"

"The battle's lost! Fall back to the airport and offer support to the Knights at the entrance - do not leave the battlefield am I clear?"

"Yes, Elder." Danse bobbed dutifully and made his way back at a limp.

Another thought ran amok in his head; had the Elder been there when Peg had claimed him to be a synth and if so, would the Elder deem it necessary to kill dance to make an example?

Either way; he wasn't sticking around to find out and to his own dismay and surprise he slipped away clandestine and found himself before he knew it: _AWOL._


End file.
